Redesign the Oregon flag

Oregon Flag Contest

It's come down to these 10. Out of a couple thousand entries to our state flag redesign contest, judges narrowed the field to 10 finalists.

Now it's your turn to vote. We'll tally the numbers through January 12.

So, Oregonians one and all — VOTE — schoolkids and retirees. You need not be 18, but do keep it to one vote per person.

What then? We'll ask politicians in Salem to adopt the new flag. We don't know if they will. But whether they do or not, it will be an illuminating civics lesson. All you anti-new-flag people, remember this. The current state flag always remains an official flag even if a new one is adopted.

Scroll down to vote on your favorite.

THE FINALISTS

A.Gerald H. Black , 74, Warrenton, retired The process: When Black thought about what best said Oregon, he imagined snow-capped peaks of the Cascades, the golden hills of wheat and the painted hills. He wanted a simple design to easily reproduced. What it means: Mount Hood dominates against a blue sky. The horizontal green stripe represents the forests and agricultural areas; the gold stripe represents the wheat fields and high deserts.

B.Eddy Lyons , 42, Southwest Portland, manager for a clinical research program The process: He chose the iconic wagon to connect to our roots, as well as the current flag. What it means: Stylized wagon for pioneers. Star for the location of the state. Red connects to the red, white and blue.

C.Douglas Lynch, 95, Northwest Portland, professional designer The process: Commissioned to design the city of Portland's flag, he also noodled around with one for the state, and came up with this. Lynch still draws by hand and calls himself "B.C. Before computer. I'm computer illiterate." What it means: Green is for the agriculture. Gold is for the desert or wheat. And the two parts of the state are separated by the snow-capped mountains.

D.Jaymes Walker , 55, Northeast Portland, a landscape designer The process: "I purposefully kept this flag simple in order for it to represent all of Oregon." What it means: The "O" stands for Oregon, and is doubled. The incoming stripes frame the letter and strengthen the image to show the strength and solidarity. Blue and gold, the state colors, represent the Pacific Ocean and western Oregon; and the high desert and wheat fields of eastern Oregon. Note that the colors could be reversed.

E.John Mothershead, 50, Milwaukie The process: "I've always had an interest in flags, doodling flags here and there and I saw the contest and said, 'Ooh, that's for for me.' " What it means: The green and gold quarters symbolize agriculture and the land. The wavy blue and white quarters symbolize the ocean and rivers. I wanted to make it flashy where it would stand out.

F.T.J. Borzner, 56, Southwest Portland, electronics technician The process: "I worked evenings about four weeks and probably made over 100 variations on the flag. After a lot of effort with the beaver I decided to go with the more timely salmon, which is an indicator of efforts to restore the ecosystem."
What it means: Green represents growth and productivity of the land, the forests, farms and vineyards. A gold salmon icon, inspired by Native American rock art, is for great value and quality of life. The bars represent hydroelectric and geothermal energy, the energy of workers, ranchers and immigrants. In their vertical positions, they both block and impel the salmon.

G.Randall Gray , 42, West Linn, mapmaker for Clackamas County The process: Always interested in flags and design, Gray was unimpressed with the front of the Oregon flag. But the back, with the beaver, was another matter. "The backside is the the start of something good." What it means: Blue and gold for the state colors with green to represent trees and wilderness Oregon was blessed with. White contrasts between the dark blue and green. The beaver from the current flag links us with the past. The star represents Oregon's place in the Union.

H.Lorraine Bushek, 60, Southwest Portland, retired The process: The simplicity of the design came to Bushek quickly. She looked outside her home, surrounded by Douglas fir trees. What it means: She wanted to symbolize all the state, not just the green lush valley, so she paired emerald with a brilliant blue to suggest the clear skies of eastern Oregon.

I.Karen L. Azinger, 51, Northwest Portland, writer/business consultant The process: Such a cool state, she says, deserves a cool flag. The tree comes from the license plates and she chose green for the beautiful outdoors and for Oregon's environmental awareness. Yellow, to be inclusive: "I didn't want eastern Oregon left out." What it means: The Douglas fir, the state tree, on a field of blue, white and gold. Blue for our Pacific Coast, white for our snow-capped mountains, green for our forests and golden for the grassy plains of eastern Oregon.

J.Thomas Lincoln, 69, Springfield, semi-retired graphic designer The process: "I was going for continuity because a radical change in the flag will be a hard sell." What it means: Beaver would be singular to Oregon and make our flag distinctive. The colors tie to the blue and gold of the current flag. He wanted to evolve and upgrade it, not totally change it.

VOTE!

Note: We've kept track of all the people who want to keep the current flag. But in response to your requests, we're also going to add it to the poll.

*The current flag remains a legal flag and entitled to all the honors it currently has, and agencies can continue to fly it. The current flag never goes away. We don't want it to; we want to see what of these designs you like best. But because some requested to vote for none of the above, we are tallying that as well.

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